Caissus: Sounds like you and I agree on the use of computers and outside help.

I hadn't addressed the losing games on purpose, just the using of outside help. Losing games on purpose seems rather stupid to me. Just how can that boost one's rating? Create accounts and have these accounts do the losing to specific players in certain games? Yes, that might work, but what's the point? In a two player game, it is the winner that advances. The rating itself doesn't mean squat. I have a 2300 rating in Dark Chess, but I lost the other week to someone with a 1500 rating. It doesn't mean much that I can see, except that he won the game. I sure didn't lose it on purpose and the loss lowered my rating, but so what? As far as I can see the ratings themselves are just a guidline for seeding tournaments or to help someone find suitable opponents to invite to play a game with. People that play just to get a high rating and not care about playing the game itself are people that need to look at why they are playing a game in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I like having the highest rating I can in every game that I play, but that is not why I play games. I dislike the rating when people hold my low rating against me and won't play me because of it. Or won't play me because my rating is a lot higher than theirs is. In some games, Chess especially, if the opponents aren't fairly close in playing strength the games usually aren't very fun games for either player. This is one thing that I do like about having ratings, but it shouldn't be a hard and fast thing applied indiscriminately in every case. That's why some tournaments are opens and others are invitationals.
In a multiplayer game, losing games on purpose can directly help other players in the game. Just as can playing poorly. There's been a lot of discussion about this in the "Run Around the Pond" discussion board. Almost every game involving more than two sides has this problem, and that's just how it goes. I suppose about the only way you can do anything about it is to not play with those people that one thinks are employing such tactics.